Nut lock



Aug.

M, w23. www5 M. F. LERcl-l NUT LOCK Filed Sept. 23. 1922 Y Patented ug.14, 11923..

NITED MARSHEL F. LERCH, F LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY,` ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT ANDMSNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 THE LERCH SHUMATE BOLT CO., 0F LOUISVILLE,KENTUCKY,

A CORPORATION or KENTUCKY.

` NUT Application lcd September To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that MARSHEL F. LERCH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Louisville, in the county-of Jefferson and 6 State ofKentucky, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nut Locks,of which the followin is a specification.

This invention re ate's to devices for preventing the unscrewing of nutsfrom bolts and has special reference to an improved lock nut.

Many lock nuts have been invented but it is found that most of these areof such complicated construction that they cannot be manufactured on theordinary types of automatic machinery. This makes these locknuts-entirely too expensive for practical use as well as too slow ofmanufacture.

'One important object of the invention is to provide an improved form oflock nut which may be made on the ordinary nut machine commonly used inmanufacturing' plants where such articles are made, and which, when somade, will be capable of being1 turned out in large quantities economicay.

Another objection which has existed in manyof the locking devicesheretofore employed .or which have been suggested for employment is that.these devices are too com licated 4for general use some of them empoying a system of springs, pawls, and ratchets.

A second important object of the invention isv to provide an improvedlock nut consisting of but one piece of metal of simple construction andcapable of rough usage.

A third important object of the invention is to produce Aa novel form oflock nut eo which will hold on the bolt in a perfectly secure manner sothat no amount of vibration or shaking will loosen it.

With the above and other objects in view as will be hereinafterapparent2 the invention consists in general of certain novel de-4 tailsof construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, like characters of reference indicate likeparts in the several views, and

Figure 1 is a section through a pair of LOCK.

23, 1922. Serial No. 590,098.

plates showing the application of the lock nut thereto.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the lock nut.

Figure 3'is a bottom view thereof.

Figure 4 is a detail section of the nut.

Figure 5 is a view showing the position in which the lower part of thenut is forced when the same is applied in locking a standard nut inposition.

This lock nut is intended to be used with a bolt havin a portion 10provided with the usual rig t hand threads and a reduced portion 11provided with left hand threads. On the portion 10 is screwed, whenemploying the device, a nut 12 of the ordinary standard type either thinas shown in Figure 1 or the full thickness as shown in Figure 5. Thelock nut proper comprises a main or body portion 13 from which depend,at the sides of the nut, a series of lugs 14. The nut is provided withthe usual bore 15 threaded internally and the lower part of this nut iscountersunk as at 16 so that it slips readily over the threads 11 andthus enables the threaded bore 15 to be engaged on the threads of saidportion l1. n-the form show n in Figure `1 this bore is not undercut sothat the lugs 14 are ofuniform thickness from top to bottom but in theform shown in Figures 4: and 5 the bore 16 is undercut so as to provide,at Jthe lower end of each nut, an inwardly projectin flange 17 and theunder faces of these ugs in this form are inclined as at 18 so that whenapplied to lock a nut 1:2 :in position, as shown in Figure 5, thetendency of the lugs is to move inward. It is to be noted that theposition shown in that figure is somewhat exaggerated in order to bringout more clearly the-tendency due to the undercutting and bevelling ofthe lower surface. In each of these forms when the lock nut is screweddownward the side edges of the lugs grip tightly in the top of the nutto which they are applied and thus prevent backward rotation in a moreeffective manner by far than the usual left hand nut without dependinglugs. It will be observed that due to the resiliency of the materialfrom which the nut is made, the springing in of the arms will beresisted, and that when the arms are thus sprung in, which isaccomplished by their movely tend to spring out, but this is resisted bying undercut to provide 'inwardly extending.

the downward inclination of the arts 18 so that the two nuts are heldtoget er lbythe owerful frictional engagement of the bent iiigs of theupper nut with the lower nut.

There has thus been provided a simple and cfiicient device of the kinddescribed and for the purpose specified:

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is

1. A lock nut consisting of a, body portion having a threaded boltreceiving opening, and lugs depending from the body portion at each ofthe flat sides of said nut and lo-` cated centrally of said flat side,said lugs befianges at the bottom, the under faces of said anges andlurrs bein inclined inwardly and downwardly rom lt e outer faces of thesame.

2. A lock nut consisting of a body portion having a. threaded boltreceiving opening, y

and lugs depending from the body portion at each 'of the Hat sides ofsaid nut and located centrally of said fiat side and having their lowerlateral edges sharp whereby to bite into the surface to which the nut isap`l plied, said lugs being undercut to provide inf MARSHEL E. LE CH.

